Depth-regulating mechanism for moving vessels.



- G. 0. DAVISON. DEPTH REGUL'ATING MECHANISM FOR MOVING VESSELS.

' APPLICATION FILED: APR. 15, 1 909. 946,659 Patented Jan. 18,1910.

NVENTOR ATTORNEYS G. G. DAVISON.

DEPTH REGULATING MECHANISM FOR MOVING VESSELS.

AP PLICATION FILED APR. 15, 1909.

3 SHEETS-SHEET 2.

Patented Jan. 18,1910.

G. G. DAVISON. DEPTH REGULATING MECHANISM FOR movme VESSELS.

APPLICATION FILED APR. 15, 1909.

Patented Jan. 18, 1910.

3 SHEETS-SHEET 3.

ATTORNEYS ,9- mnniw. a. cam/m co.. movmumoamnm. wwmmon UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE.

GREGORY CALDWELL DAVISON', QUINCY, MASSACHUSETTS.

' DEPTH-REGULATING MECHANISM FOR MOVING VESSELS.

To (ill whom it may concern} V 'Be it known that I, GREGORY CALDWELL Qnyison, a citizen of the United States,-residmg at -Quincy, inthe county of Norfolk and State of Massachusetts, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in Depth Regulating Mechanism for -Moving Vessels; and I do hereby declarethe followand exact description ingto be a full, clear, of the invention, such as will enable others skilled in the art to which it-appertains to make and use the same.

The object of the invention is to provide a simple, compact, reliable and easily adjusted mechanism for automatically maintainlng. an automobile torpedo or thelike on an even'keel atapredetermined depth of submergence. V able element such as flexible diaphragm to the pressure of the water of submergence and oppose the movement of the diaphragm, under the action of that pressure, by a force due to the displacement, by a float, of a rela tively large body of a heavy liquid, and cause the resulting movement to affect the position ofa depth-controlling rudder. V-

. The particular nature andmode ofoperationof the invention will be understood from the-following description and the accompanying drawings.

In the drawings Figure 1 is a central vertical section of a portion" of a torpedo equipped with a form ofmy invention, the specific proportion and relative arrangement of the parts shown having been designed for installation in a standard Whitetical section showing somewhat diagram-.

matically the depth regulating apparatus and particularly'its connection to the rudders, and Fig. 6 is a similar view illustrating -a vmodification. v The flexible diaphra m a may be positioned in any portlon o the vessel where it is subjected to the pressure of the water of submergence; In the particular form illus- To this end I subject a mov- Specification of letters Patent. Patented J an. 18, 1910. Application filed April 15, 1909. Serial No. 490,105. 5

trated it located centrally in a transverse bulkhead which separates a chamber conphragm 0: israttached to a disk-shaped head.

0 on theend of a stem 03, which projects through the bearing sleeve of the housingb, and is fastened at its inner end to a short forked lever arm 6 secured to shaft supported by bracket 6 V c A Extending from the shaft 7' towardthe bulkhead is a longer lever arm 9 to the free end of which is attached the upper end of the stem hiprojecting from float 2', within the float chamber is, the stem it being surrounded by a flexible sleeve Z, and the float chamber being supported in the bracket 6 In, the inner end of the bracket 6 is formed a guideway in which is guided a projection from the fluid reservoir m which projection .has formed in it a nut engaged by elevating screw it supported vcentrally of the guideway, and having at its upper end a beyel pinionv 0 meshing with a correspondlng pinion of on shaft 0 which shaft is supported-in the brackets]; and b and is driven through bevel pinions 0 and 0 from a stub-shaft-o" mounted on bracket 6 and containing at its upper end a square recess adapted to be engaged and turned by a su1table-1mple-. ment which may be inserted for that purpose through an appropriate openlng 1n the shell of the vessel.

The fluid tank m, which is preferably filled with mercury, is in communication with the bottom of the float chamber through flexible pipe 2) and with the top of the, float chamber through flexible equalizing plpe q, and by operating the stub-shaft 0 the vertical position of the reservoir may beadjuste ed to fix the depth of submergence at which the vessel will run. It will be observed-that in the preferred construction shown the float 2' is guided in its verticalmovement' by an upstanding stud 1 rising from the bottom of the float chamber and that the float nearly fills the float chamber, so that a small quantity of the fluid will have the maximum effect upon the large float. The lifting power of the float, which is itself of a very light material such as wood, is substantially equal to the weight of the mercury, or other heavy fluid, displaced by the float, and a large saving in the total weight of the apparatus is thus attained.

Referring to Figs. 4 and 5, it will be .ob-v

course, is proportional to the height of the mercury column which height may be varied at will by means of the elevating screw 11. If the turning moment due to the pressure of the water on the diaphragm a is less than the turning moment due to the lifting effect of the float, the lever 25 and connecting rods will turn the rudders s in a direction to further submerge the vessel; if the turning moment due to the pressure of the water on the diaphragm is greater than the turning moment due to the lifting effect of the float the rudders will be turned in a direction to bring the vessel nearer the surface, and the torpedo will seek, and remain at, that depth at which the turning moment of the water pressure is balanced by the turning moment due to the float; and if for any reason the vessel is inclined from the horizontal the height of the mercury column will be correspondingly varied and the vessel will be brought to an even keel in a manner which will be readily understood.

In the modification illustrated in Fig. 6 the inward movement of the diaphragm a is opposed by a spring a compressed between the diaphragm-plate and a fixed abutment through which rod cl extends to the upper end of pivoted lever w, to the lower end of which is attached the connecting rod t.

' The lifting effectof the float is opposed by a spring 00 compressed between the cover of the float chamber and a fixed abutment 0" through which rod y extends to one arm of a bell crank lever 2 pivoted on bracket 72 and carrying the pivot of the lever ea. In this construction the normal depth of sub mergence of the vessel is controlled by the pressure of spring 4) so that if the pressure on the diaphragm is suflicient to force inwardly the rod surrounded by the spring, the bell crank lever 2 remaining stationary, the rudders will be turned to submerge the vessel, and if the pressure on the diaphragm is overbala-nced by the spring '2) the rudders will be turned to bring the vessel nearer the surface. If the vessel is inclined from an even keel the pressure of the mercury column-acting against the spring to will become eifective'to return it to an even keel. YVith this construction, by disconnecting the float from the bell crank lever a and restraining that lever against turning a mech- .anism is provided which is controlled entirely by the pressure of the surrounding water and has no supplemental means for bringing the vessel to ,an even keel, and by disconnecting the diaphragm from the lever w andfixing that lever in position with respect to the bell crank lever .2 an arrangement is provided which will maintain the vessel at an even keel independently of the depth of submergence.

What I claim is 1. A depth regulating mechanism for subjected to the pressure of the water of submergence, in combination with a float displacing a heavy liquid and connected to move the movable element against the said pressure, a depth-controlling rudder, and connections from the movable element to the rudder.

2. A depth regulating mechanism for moving vessels having a movable element I subjected to the pressure of the water of submergence, in combination with .a float chamber containing a heavy liquid, a float nearly filling said chamber and connected to move the movable element against the said pressure, a depth-controlling rudder, and connections from the movable element to the rudder.

A depth regulating mechanism for moving vessels having a movable element submergence, in combination with a float chamber, a reservoir for a heavy liquid communicating with said chamber and spaced apart therefrom longitudinally of the vessel, a float within the float chamber and connected to move the movable element against the said pressure, an elevating screw engaging the reservoir whereby its vertical position may be changed, a depth-controlling rudder, and connections from the movable element to the rudder.

l. In depth regulating mechanism for moving vessels, a flexible diaphragm subjected to the pressure of the water of submergence, a depth-controlling rudder actu and mechanism tending to move the diamoving vessels having a movable-element v subjected to the pressure of the water of ated by the movement of the diaphragm,

phragm against the said pressure, said phragm to move it against the pressure of mechanism comprising a reservoir containthe water of submergence. 10 ing mercury, an elevating screw connected In testimony whereof I affix my signato said reservoir for changing its vertical ture, in presence of two witnesses.

position, a float chamber communicating GREGORY CALDWELL DAVISON. with the reservoir but spaced apart there- Witnesses: from longitudinally of the vessel, and a GEORGE A. SULLIVAN,

float in said chamber connected to the dia- 1 F. L. BRAKE. 

